These actions are normally arising from their ‘tragic flaw’, which is an undesirable element of their character, like Macbeth’s ambition or Hamlet’s indecisiveness. In Greek tragedy, the ‘tragic flaw’ was linked to Aristotle’s concept of Hamartia. Rather than the tragedy directly from a flaw in the protagonist’s morality or personality, the tragedy unfolds from an error made by the protagonist. This isn’t to say that the Hamartia leads from the tragic flaw (such as in The Persians, where Xerxes’ decision to invade Greece comes from Hubris), but that it isn’t required to be the cause. Hamlet can be seen as a Shakespearian tragedy in this respect, as it is very much the flaw in his indecisiveness that causes his lack of action to drive the play, perhaps shown best in Act 3, Scene 3 where he decides to not kill a defenceless Claudius, despite spending much of the play finding evidence of this guilt, and just before immediately murdering a man who he thought was Claudius.
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a timeless tragedy, depicting historical figures but concerning the modern world as well. John Proctor, the protagonist, though fitting several of the characteristics of the Aristotelian tragic hero, is actually a much more complex tragic hero. The primary differences between John Proctor and the classic tragic hero are obvious, such as the lack of noble birth, his not being in a position of leadership, and the inevitability of his fate. These differences are necessary, as Arthur Miller attempts to convince his audience that his protagonist is an everyman and is worth sympathizing for. In Arthur Miller’s more complex world, a more complex tragic hero is needed.
Chantelle Driver English 12-1B Ms.Turner 15 December 2011 A Tragic Hero Named Macbeth Sometimes a tragic hero is created, not through his own villainy, but rather through the flaws in him. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth is our main example of our common tragic hero who possesses a tragic flaw, but what is a tragic flaw? A tragic flaw is a flaw in a character that brings about the downfall of the hero of a tragedy. Shakespeare uses Macbeth to show the terrible effects that ambition and guilt can have on a man who lacks strength of character. Ambition, moral weakness and selective perception, would be the major flaws of our character, Macbeth.
Examination of Oedipus at Colonus According to Aristotle’s Poetics Oedipus at Colonus I felt did not fully meet the criteria for a successful tragedy, only certain parts. Oedipus at Colonus is the sequel to Oedipus the King that has a simpler plot compared to the more complex one of Oedipus the King. If Oedipus continued, to be helpless throughout the story the plot would have been very tedious but in the middle he shows the audience a glimpse of whom he used to be but I felt that Oedipus has too much self knowledge in Oedipus at Colonus to fully capture the audience. In chapter seven of Aristotle’s Poetics, Aristotle discusses the difference between Comedy, the difference between Epopee and Tragedy. Comedy is an imitation of bad characters, which refers to the everyday person showing only the ridicules side.
We always make decisions without knowing the exact outcome of what we do, despite whether our intent is good or evil. In the play, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, he develops the idea that an individual’s good intentions can have devastating results. This idea is developed through the characters Romeo, Friar Laurence, Juliet, and Mercutio. In the scene where Mercutio and Tybalt were fighting, Romeo intervenes and ends up losing Mercutio the match, costing his life. “I thought all for the best.”(Act 3, Scene 1, line 99) Romeo had the best intentions however; best intentions in Shakespeare’s plays always have a negative impact.
Incidentally, he refers to Juliet’s life as “honey”, and that it was sucked from her breath. Therefore, it is not unnatural to assume that Juliet lived a good, friendly, and warm life. Love and death are a crucial part to the story as they provide a deeper meaning and understanding of it. Without images of light and dark as well as love and death, Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” would not have achieved the rightly deserved praise it has today. Consequently, the story would be dry and less lively, and some important connections and meanings could not be made.
In William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, there were numerous factors that accumulated to lead up to the tragedies that occurred. The Weird Sisters were not catalysts for these tragedies, as they only acted as a mirror to reflect and reveal man’s true nature and flaws. A Shakespearean tragedy is when character flaws become so dominant that they lead up to a number of tragic events, and eventually the downfall of the characters themselves. This was demonstrated in the play when, after being foretold by the Weird Sisters that he would soon be King, Macbeth’s true nature began to surface. His desire for power eventually overpowered his morality and caused him to perform a series of violent murderous acts.
However, the most incredible of all these passages is found in Act 4, Scene 1, Lines 164-177, where Macbeth contemplates his inner thoughts to himself. Here, Macbeth speaks to time, providing the audience with a more in depth image of its importance. Also, Macbeth’s diction is short and fierce, further pushing the play’s theme of insanity slowly taking over Macbeth’s mind. Lastly, the passage faultlessly illustrates Macbeth’s fatal flaw of ambition slowly ruining his inner being. With these things taken into account, it will be effortless for one to show just how lovely this passage is
Ismene cannot convince Antigone to not bury their brother Polynices. Later in the play, Ismene does realize that what Antigone did was the right thing. In Greek tragedies, tragic flaw is defined as a characteristic that leads the main character to his or her own downfall. Tragedies tell the story of a reversal of fortune, from good to bad, experienced by a man or woman of noble birth. In all Greek tragedies, and other tragedies the main character ends up dying.
Aristotle’s definition of tragedy is “Tragedy is a story taking the hero from happiness to misery because of a fatal flaw or mistake on his part. To be a true tragic hero he must also elicit a strong emotional response of pity and fear from the audience.” (Aristotle) Creon fits perfectly into this description of a tragic hero.There have been many controversies regarding the true nature of Creon in the play “Antigone” by Anouilh.In this essay of mine, we shall perceive Creon as a noble man rather than an arrogant tyrant.In my view,Creon was the protagonist while Antigone was undoubtedly the antagonist, the cause of the whole tragedy who caused her own downfall as well as the downfall of Haemon and Eurydice courtesy of her obnoxious and immature behaviour. To prove my point here, I shall start with the fact that Creon hadn’t desired power.He was a patron of art, a lover of music, an idealist. This had been stated by the Chorus in the Prologue. This throne had been forced upon him by the circumstances after the death of Eteocles.